Fairyland is in trouble. Its princesses and their respective worlds are disappearing, causing a ripple effect on Earth where their stories are popular. In order to save Fairyland, the Queen sends three "mapets" (magic animals), Sei, Dai, and Ryoku, to Earth with magic gems to find three girls who can become the "Super Miracle Idols," the princesses Snow White, Cinderella, and Kaguya-hime. Those "princesses" end up being three very ordinary little girls: Yukimori Ringo, Takashiro Leila, and Sasahara Natsuki. The gems transform them into oldersinging superstars, and after their accidental debut at their favorite singer Wish's concert, they become known as "Little Princesses," or "LilPri" for short. Now they must use their songs to draw and collect Happiness Tones from humans in order to restore Fairyland.

The anime is based on Sega's trading card arcade game Lilpri - Yubi Puru Hime Chen!, which lets players customize their own idol and sing, dance, and cast spells. On May 29, 2010, Crunchyroll began streaming the series under the inaccurate but cute title Spellbound! Magical Princess Lil'Pri. There is also a manga that began running in February 2009 called simply "Lilpri", written by Mai Jinna, the game's character designer.

Anachronism Stew: There's not only episode 17's "Ningyaru Hime" (see Canon Discontinuity below), but in episode 24 we see pictures of some of Kaguya-hime's suitors facing a pterosaurus, a flying saucer and an army of mummies.

By the Power of Grayskull!: Both the game and the anime use the more traditional "magic words" method (PRIPAL PREPAL PLILIN PUCCHI!).

Canon Discontinuity: Even Japan knows that "Ningyo Hime" isn't supposed to be "Ningyaru Hime" (In-universe, even Fairyland would know that). One would think she would magically change back to normal by the end. Nope, she's still a "ganguro" when our intrepid magical idol singers read the picture book.

Canon Foreigner: Partly invoked by the anime. "Wish" was created for the show, but "Chris" comes from the game. In the anime, they're portrayed as the same character.

Completely Missing the Point: One-shot character Youichi in episode 33 misunderstands what Sayaka (another one shot character) means when she says she would like them to be "good friends".

Conspicuous CGI: The Lilpri dance sequences; likely a reference to the game.

Cowardly Lion: Mimiko in episode 19. Subverted at first; it ultimately takes Lilpri to help her realize there's nothing to be afraid of.

Expy: There's not only Chris/Wish (who looks like the White Rabbit in rabbit form and like Zero in human form) and Natsuki (essentially Kagami with darker hair and a different eye color), but in episode 19 we also get Nadeko Sengoku look-alike Mimiko and a doll resembling Lilie from Princess Tutu.

Speaking of Princess Tutu, in episode 24 one of Natsuki's suitors, Narushi Kizaki, clearly looks like he could be Femio's long lost little brother, complete with the purple hair and the rose.

Fire-Breathing Diner: In episode 19, Atsui-sensei's wife's curry turns everyone into one of these. Ryoku is the first to try it, and the girls and Saotome mistake his flame for a will-o'-the-wisp.

For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: Played with in episode 31. Ringo, Leila, and Natsuki cosplay Lilpri (in their trademark outfits, the Princess Fairytale ones) for a costume contest. Of course, no one suspects they really are Lilpri since any fan of the group might cosplay them.

Gyaru: The girls meet a mermaid in episode seventeen named Lili, who gets dropped into the human world. She sees some "gyaru" and immediately adopts the style, even returning to Fairyland in it.

Hello! Project: The three girls are voiced by three of the four members of S/Mileage (at least some of whom were previously members of Shugo Chara! Egg). Additionally, while they sing the Lilpri songs from the arcade game (and the second OP and ED) as Lilpri, the first ending theme is sung by S/Mileage as themselves.

Henohenomoheji: The janitor's face in one of the ghost stories Saotome tells in episode 19.

Episode 25 has it on the "Leila" part of the mapets' disguise.

Homage: to the tokusatsu superhero genre in episode 22. The change card for this episode ("Petit Ranger") was even inspired by the Super Sentai series.

Lethal Chef: In episode two, to make up for eating all the apple pies Ringo's parents had made to sell the next day, the mapets try to bake some replacements. To describe the result, the customers say it's like your tongue explodes.

Limited Wardrobe: Both played straight and subverted. As themselves, the girls wear the same clothes constantly (only changing for summertime), but as Lilpri, they get a new outfit every time they transform.

Plot Pants: Glaringly obvious inversion. Ringo, Leila, and Natsuki wear the exact same outfits every single day apparently, whether in school or not, rain or shine but when they transform into Lilpri they get a different outfit every time. The only exception being the Princess Fairytale card which they like well enough to use 5 or 6 times and their halloween costumes which are ... you guessed it, their Princess Fairytale card outfits.

Public Domain Soundtrack: In the game, one of their songs is a techno-infused rendition of "Usagi no Dance" (The Rabbit Dance), a traditional Japanese nursery rhyme. A rendition by the Hello! Project version of Lilpri is later heard in episode 24.

Shout-Out / Brand X: In episode 28, Vivi finds a group of kids playing Yu-Gi-Oh!, except the back of the cards is green instead of brown and the design is slightly different. And in episode 34, Leila imagines Natsuki wearing an outfit reminiscent of Sapphire's.

Show Within a Show: Let's see... There's the comedy show and Close-Up Idol from episode 6, as well as all the shows introduced in episode 32 such as Mr. Monkeys, Herahera, Star Trick, Easy Meals...

Spell My Name with an "S": Although "Leila" is the official English spelling of her name (which is also used on Crunchyroll's subs), there have been people who have referred to her as either "Reira" (based on the reading of her name in katakana), or "Layla". This page for a Japanese Lilpri magazine shows "Leila" as being how her name is officially written in English.

The first fansub group also misspelled Ryoku's name as "Ryouku" for some reason, and Crunchyroll once spelled Natsuki's last name as "Takahara".

Status Quo Is God: In episode 25, three "junior detectives" deduce that Ringo, Leila and Natsuki are in fact Lil' Pri (one of them even figures they use magic to transform, though he gets called out on it). Eventually however, their secret is safe thanks to a disguise used by the mapets while the girls (as Lil' Pri) make it to their concert.

This is later lampshaded in episode 26 when the girls teach the queen of Fairy Land to do the pose. She even has her own version ("OHHHHH, KURISUUUUUUUUUU!!!", referring to Chris, who turns out to be the prince of Fairy Land and thus her son)

Temporal Theme Naming: Ringo's seven identical little brothers are named Getsu, Ka, Sui, Moku, Kin, Dou, and Nichi. Add youbi to each of those, and you've got the days of the week.

Theme Tune Cameo: LilPri's debut song is the show's theme song; also a bit funny because their magic mics make them sing it.

Verbal Tic: Dai ends his sentences with the oh-so-traditional "desu", while Sei ends his with "desu zo" and Vivi ends hers with "de chi". Also, each episode title ends with the princesses saying "pri".

An unintentional example in episode 11. When Atsui-sensei mentions that his bride is a very big woman, Sei, Dai and Ryoku imagine a fire-breathing Godzilla-esqueKaiju wearing a wedding veil, lipstick, and carrying a bouquet. In other words, a Bridezilla.

Another example, this time very intentional, occurs in episode 38. At one point, Mr. Santarou says the number 9 ("ku"), refers to Dai as a squirrel ("risu"), and holds up a box ("masu"), to form "kurisumasu" (the Japanese pronounciation of the word "Christmas").

Whole Plot Reference: Episode 24, a Natsuki-centered episode, is one towards the original Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (otherwise known as Kaguya-hime, which is the "fairy tale princess" Natsuki represents).

Wonder Triplet Powers: A "Secret Lilpri" segment in episode 37 reveals that the girls have to transform together (otherwise, it won't work), resulting in this trope.

Inverted in the original arcade game, where they only transform individually; it will always be the one the player selects at the start of the game.

Year Inside, Hour Outside / Narnia Time: In episode fourteen, the Queen brings the girls to Fairyland, and it's not until late that night that they realize no one back home knows where they are. They're promptly told by their tour guide, a fairy named Roo, that when they get back it'll be the same time they left.

You Gotta Have Blue Hair: There's, not only pink-haired Ringo, but also Natsuki, who has purple hair, though hers could count as stylized black hair.

Zettai Ryouiki Natsuki/Princess Kaguya has grade A (borderline S due to her snarky nature and twintails) when transformed using the Princess Fairytale card. She also has thighhigh boots when untransformed but then, she's just a kid.

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